Opportunities to Serve

Opportunities to Serve

Acolytes
Acolytes are individuals who help the bishop and priests with details of the service. This ministry is available to children and youth third grade through senior high.  If you are interested in volunteering  please email Kenny Higginbotham, ken.higginbotham​@flhealth.gov.

Altar Guild
The Altar Guild sets the Lord’s Table for the celebration of Holy Eucharist each Sunday, and other services, as needed throughout the year. We have a rotation such that members serve one to two times per month. It is a wonderful way to support Redeemer with your gift of time and talent.

The existing Guild members will train any new members by partnering with them until the new Guild member is comfortable going solo. We have manuals that keep it simple. Preparing for a service takes 30 minutes. Resetting the altar between service is a 15-minute process, and the last service clean-up is a 20-minute process.

Interested in learning more, or in giving it a go on a trial basis to see if it is right for you? Great! Please contact any of these Guild members (Eric Green, Denise Holmquist, Catherine Penrod, Sandra Taunton, or Mike Zambetti) so we can answer questions or get you started!

Chalicer or Cupbearer – This person assists the Priest by offering the cup of wine for drinking or dipping after the Priest provides the bread at the Eucharist. The person also has a Purificator (cloth) to wipe the edge of the cup as needed. This person is required to robe and process in with the Crucifer and Priest(s) at the beginning of the church service and in similar fashion recess at the end. Contact Jana Prater, JanaPrater52@gmail.com, if you are interested in serving.

Children’s Ministry

    • VBS  summer activity with many opportunities to serve both at church and at our Florida Baptist Children’s Home outreach week.
    • Jesus Storybook Hour  Sunday mornings, 9:50-10:50, assist in leading a lesson to a multiage group of children from Kindergarten through 5th grade.
    • Children’s Church  8:30 service, teach a lesson to a multiage group of children from Kindergarten through 5th grade. This is a great opportunity to service once a month or even every 6-8 weeks.
    • Children’s Church 11:00 service, children are divided into age groups for this teaching. Opportunity to teach with Kindergarten/1st graders, 2nd/3rd graders or 4th/5th graders.
    • KidsKlub Wednesday night, 6:30-7:45, fun multiage activity where we study, sing, do crafts, play and share. It’s a very hands on fun experience.

Nursery

    • Sunday Mornings
      We would like to give the parents of the infants and toddlers the opportunity to worship undistracted on a more regular basis and are looking for volunteers who would be willing then serve in our nursery. Anyone who loves children and has been a member of Redeemer for at least 6 months is eligible. We will provide the necessary training. Please contact our Nursery Coordinator, Shirley Combs, 223-4799, or our Children’s Ministry Director, Prudence Baldwin, 708-1221, with questions or to volunteer.
    • Wednesday Nights
      Wednesday nights we offer the nursery (ages 0-4 years old) to parents who are attending the Adult Education classes. This is a great opportunity to serve the parents in our church who would like some time for fellowship and learning. And what could be more fun and rewarding than watching children play, grow, and learn? You do not have to make a weekly commitment, but please pray and consider serving in this capacity. Please contact our Nursery Coordinator, Stacey Thompson, sthompson0518@yahoo.com, or our Children’s Ministry Director, Prudence Baldwin, 708-1221, with questions or to volunteer.

Readers/Prayers of the People

  • Scripture Reader – This person publicly reads the Old Testament and Epistle readings for the day, followed by the Priest reading The Gospel. They receive the printed reading on the Thursday prior to the service. They are encouraged to rehearse by reading the scripture aloud and bringing the reading to life by using the correct phrasing, emphases and pronunciation. They do not robe but are requested to be seated toward the front right section of the pews allowing easy access to the lectern from the right.
  • Prayer Leader – This person reads “The Prayers of the People” which stays 95% the same each week. We do change the script to highlight different ministry groups each week and make special mention of any death notices or other current national concerns. They do not robe but are requested to be seated toward the front right section of the pews allowing easy access to the lectern from the right.

Contact Jana Prater, JanaPrater52@gmail.com, for either serving opportunity.

Ushers

  • Greet members and visitors as they enter the Narthex.
  • Provide them with a service leaflet if they did not receive one at the front door.
  • Get a count of those in the Sacristy and in the classrooms and nursery and write it on the collection bag.
  • Collect the morning offering, place it in a collection bag and place same in the safe in the office.
  • Orchestrate people coming forward for communion.
  •  After the service, walk around the Sacristy and pick up any service leaflets left in the pews.
  • Ushers each serve the Lord one Sunday a month and are responsible for getting a substitute if they are not going to be able to serve their Sunday.

Contact Milt Fritschle, mdfjef@aol.com, to serve at the 8:30 a.m. service, or the church office, churchoftheredeemerjax@gmail.com, to serve at the 11 a.m. service.

Worship Team
In our music at Redeemer we focus on leading the congregation to meet God together, honoring Him in song with praise and worshipful adoration for who He is. While doing so, we expect to engage the presence of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. And we concentrate on cultivating within the congregation the mission of Redeemer: Making Disciples who Know Christ, Grow Together and Go into the World.

Our team is always looking for vocalists and instrumentalists (all instruments!) who desire to offer their talents to the Lord in worship. We meet weekly on Thursday nights in preparation for Sundays.

Members of the team are required to have been regular attendees at Redeemer for six months prior to singing or playing on Sunday morning.

If you have some level of interest, please contact Darlene Fray, and know that you will be welcome to attend rehearsals to help you make a decision, or until you feel comfortable participating on Sundays.

We also welcome guest instrumentalists who can offer their talents occasionally.

  • Choir
    Redeemer offers semi-annual opportunities to participate in a multi-generational choir which ministers at Christmas and Easter services, and rehearses the four weeks prior. Music and CD’s are distributed for personal practice prior to the beginning of rehearsals. Whether you learn “by ear” or by reading music, you are welcome to join us!
  • Multimedia Tech
    Are you interested in helping out in a “behind the scenes” sort of way?  If so, please consider volunteering as a multimedia tech. You can play an important role in helping the congregation receive the message of the scriptures, songs and preacher’s message through the use of slides and video clips. Not “techy” with computers? Not to worry. Training will be provided. Please contact Darlene Fray if you are interested in becoming part of this “behind the scenes” team at Redeemer.
  • Sound Tech
    Do you have an ear for sound? Do you find yourself thinking about the mix of the Worship Team or whether the levels of the microphones can be heard by everyone throughout the sanctuary? Do you have – or want to have – some understanding of how sound travels and is affected by various substances in a building space? And most importantly, do you have a heart to help set the best atmosphere possible for the worship of God’s people? If so, please connect with us about being part of our Sound Tech Team!

Darlene Fray would love to hear from you if you are interested in being part of assisting with worship at Redeemer in any of these ways!

*While we use the colloquial term “Worship Team” to refer to this musical group, know that Redeemer believes all we do in a service of worship is exactly that: worship.

Banner Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash